wth? earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, wars and rumours of war.
something's not right....
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
From a friend:
Has there ever been a time when natural disasters converged like this? Hurricanes, fires, earthquakes.
Are these birth pangs? Hurricanes Jose and Maria swirling in the sea, literally translated to Joseph and Mary, with an impending birth sign over Israel in a few days. How close are we? Something to think about, folks!
"And when you see all these things, look up, for your salvation is near!" Luke 21:28
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
By Matt Stevens - The New York Times - Sept. 20, 2017
Excerpts:
Two strong earthquakes, 12 days apart, have shaken Mexico this month, . . . .
. . . Although it might seem unusual for two strong earthquakes to hit relatively near each other in such a short time, scientists say strong earthquakes can sometimes alter stresses nearby, leading to subsequent quakes. . . .
. . . Mexico’s location makes the country prone to strong earthquakes because it is in a so-called subduction zone. . . . [What that means is explained]
. . . Both earthquakes that struck Mexico this month occurred within the sinking Cocos Plate, rather than between the Cocos Plate and the North American. . . .
. . . How often do strong quakes happen? Typically, about one quake of magnitude 8 or higher occurs somewhere in the world every year; there are about a dozen quakes of magnitude 7 or higher annually, Dr. Hayes said.
So far, 2017 has actually been a “quiet year” for earthquakes, Dr. Hayes said.
According to U.S.G.S. data, about 4,200 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or higher have occurred around the world so far this year. Over the same period in 2016 and 2015, about 5,100 quakes of the same strength occurred. In 2014 there were closer to 6,000. . . .
. . . Oklahoma has had issues in recent years with what Dr. Hayes called “human-induced” earthquakes, which are the result of wastewater being pumped into the ground. They have been recorded with magnitudes as high as about 5.8, but it’s not clear how much stronger they can get. . . .
[Full article with much more scientific detail at link above] -
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
Hurricanes Are Sweeping The Atlantic. What's The Role Of Climate Change?
By Christopher Joyce - NPR - September 8, 2017 Excerpts:
. . . Some of its reasoning is based on climate change. The eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean is the fuel tank of hurricanes, if you will, and big parts of the sea surface have been between 0.5 and 1 degree Celsius warmer than average this summer. . . .
. . . It's worth noting that there are other things that made Irma big that have no clear association with climate change.
Vertical wind shear in the hurricane "nursery" region of the Atlantic are weak this year. Strong wind shear at the right altitude can in essence "behead" a hurricane as it forms, so Irma has free rein to build.
There's also a long-term cycle in the Atlantic — the Atlantic Multi-Decadel Oscillation — that affects hurricane-forming conditions.
Since 1995, the AMO is in the "on" position for good hurricane conditions, and in fact the period since then has been quite active for storms and hurricanes.
So, as with Harvey, these superstorms have always happened due to natural causes, but the underlying conditions in the oceans and atmosphere have primed the pump.
National Hurricane Center -
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- And wars? Well . . . much of that can be attributed to stupidity, ignorance & ego as well as sad lack of willingness to really communicate, lack of willingness to understand the complexity of various nations.
Not to mention lack of imagination in exploring all sorts of ways to work things out in a manner that is good for citizens of various lands.
There's no scientific explanation for some of this stuff yet a failing to understand human nature does play into it all. A war of egos. Lack of vision.
We, as moderately intelligent & caring humans on planet earth, should be able to do better than this. -
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- This article crossed my path last week as I was reading up on weather conditions. Very interesting:
. . . Filmmakers say that weather plays a huge part in the series. "North America has some of the most extreme weather on the planet — something I'm sure will resonate with a lot of Americans," says series producer Huw Cordey of Discovery.
Our wild weather has always fascinated us, and was a shock to the early pioneers. "Europeans who settled America from east to west were progressively amazed by the spectrum of conditions they encountered," wrote Henson in his book The Rough Guide to Weather. . . .
. . . What makes it so wild?
"The U.S. is uniquely situated in the mid-latitudes — about halfway between the equator and the North Pole — and between two oceans," Potter notes.
"The contrast of cold, dry, Arctic air from Canada and warm, moist, tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico, Pacific and Atlantic help fuel the massive storms that move across the country year-round, bringing everything from blizzards to heavy rain and thunderstorms, depending on the time of year," he says.
Tornadoes, such as the ones that slammed Texas (in 2013), are nearly a uniquely American phenomenon.
Each year, "the U.S. experiences about 80% to 90% of all of the tornadoes that occur across the world," says Randy Cerveny, a professor of geography at Arizona State University.
"The U.S. averages more than 10,000 severe thunderstorm events per year, with more than 1,000 tornadoes," Potter says.
"By comparison, China, which is slightly larger in size, sees around the same number of severe thunderstorms, but fewer than 10 tornadoes per year."
Also, as for wild temperature extremes, the fact that North America has no east-west mountain range means there's nothing to stop the cold winds from the north meeting the warm weather from the south, says Discovery's Cordey.
"The mountains allow the influx of very cold air from Canada and even Siberia to spill down into the center of the country and for massive humidity and hurricanes to come up from the south, such as the Gulf of Mexico," Cerveny says.
These weather phenomena shape the landscapes, which in turn shape the wildlife, as the Discovery series will showcase.
[Full article at link above] -
Posted by aklnwlf (Member # 5960) on :
Watching the news today I got so choked up....deaths of so many in Mexico and Puerto Rico being devastated by Maria.
Not to mention all the other things going on.
All I could do was look upward and ask for help.
Posted by Pocono Lyme (Member # 5939) on :
I like that Lymetoo. aklnwlf: That reminded me of a wallet size card a friend sent me years ago.
It simply said, When you're feeling down, look up.
A little humor here copied from the internet.
God was sitting in heaven one day when a scientist said to Him, “God, we don’t need you anymore. Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of nothing – in other words, we can now do what you did in the beginning.”
“Oh, is that so? Explain…” replies God. “Well,” says the scientist, “we can take dirt and form it into the likeness of you and breathe life into it, thus creating man.”
“Well, that’s very interesting… show Me.”
So the scientist bends down to the earth and starts to mold the soil into the shape of a man. “No, no, no…” interrupts God, “Get your own dirt.”
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
LOL .. That's great, Pocono! I've never heard that one before!
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- All jokes aside, I like to consider that scientists are here to help us learn and understand and, in some ways, do things differently for a better & safer result.
Kind of like the saying "Pray to God but row to shore." The action of "rowing" can be interpreted as learning, acting, too.
Putting the role of scientists who are also Christian (or really members of other faiths, too) into perspective:
Three Christian Scientists Explain Why They are Marching for Science
April 19, 2017
. . . As Christians who believe that God is the Ultimate Source of light and life, we couldn’t agree more. As scientists who believe that the laws of nature can be carefully expounded through empirical investigation, we say wholeheartedly, “Amen!”
We do not see reality through two mutually exclusive spheres of faith and science. Rather, we see through a unified vision, where science enriches Christianity, and Christianity gives us a framework to appreciate science.
Our faith compels us to seek truth in every aspect of our life, whether that is the ultimate truth about God or the more mundane truths about how the world and universe in which we live, works. . . .
. . . Scientists in academia and public institutions, by the very nature of our profession, seek to serve the common good. We strive to advance not just the scientific community, but also the larger communities of which we are a part.
Whether we’re researching how to create high strength steels for safer motor vehicles, which neural circuits are altered in disorders of brain development,
or how to “see” the tiny machines that make up our cells and develop better medications to control them, we labor with the hope that our research would one day be useful beyond the immediate scope of our respective scientific niches. . . .
[Full essay at link above] -
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
News Flash .. Christians are not against science.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
Severe flooding is becoming increasingly common in the U.S. — and more destructive. Here's everything you need to know: . . . .
. . . Harvey wasn't "the storm of the millennium," says David Conrad, a consultant for the Association of State Floodplain managers. "It's going to happen again and again."
How bad is the problem?
What's behind the increase?
Which areas are most vulnerable?
Are solutions possible? -
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I remember in the 70's there was a book published called Future Shock.
The author said our worst problem in the future was going to be floods due to all of the development in the cities.
![[group hug]](graemlins/grouphug.gif)
![[lol]](graemlins/lol.gif)